That sound you hear off-track this weekend at Mid-Ohio is someone
cueing up "IndyCar musical chairs," because it's August and drivers are
rotating around the seats until someone is left standing.
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Robert Doornbos, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Photo by Adriano Manocchia.
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To start the process, one of this year's rookie-of-the-year contenders
is rejoining the team where he won that award in 2007 in Champ Car.
Robert Doornbos, the affable Dutchman better known as "Bobby D,"
has confirmed a departure from Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, after an
anonymous first 12 races this season. "Bobby D" now reunites with HVM
Racing for the remainder of 2009 and all of 2010.
"I am very happy to rejoin Keith Wiggins, Michael Cannon and HVM
Racing," said Doornbos. "I was very successful with this team in 2007.
My mission is to become Rookie of the Year again with this young and
eager team. I like to thank Keith for his confidence in my driver skills
and look forward to the first race for HVM next weekend."
The team has prepared a second Dallara, #33, for the Dutchman in under
48 hours and has it off the trailers and rolling this weekend. Both
driver and team are looking for similar results as happened in 2007 in
Champ Car, when Doornbos won twice and finished third in the series
standings.
"He had a very good year with us in '07 and he has a great deal of
experience behind the wheel, so he will be a good addition to our
team," said HVM team owner Wiggins. "And, of course, everyone in our
organization knows him and likes him, so we'll just be picking up where
we left off with him two years ago."
The vacancy this weekend at N/H/L goes then to a driver also with prior
experience in the team, and it's a welcome return for Oriol Servia who
filled in admirably for Bruno Junqueira in 2005. Servia, like Junqueira,
has spent all but the month of May in 2009 on the sidelines and now
takes his spot in the #06 entry.
In his prior stint with N/H/L in 2005, Servia took over for an injured
Junqueira, won his first race at Montreal, and finished runner-up in the
standings to teammate Sebastien Bourdais.
Servia drove at this season's Indianapolis 500 for Rahal Letterman
Racing and showed a good turn of speed as a second-week entry, but was
unable to finish the race with a fuel pressure loss just past half
distance.
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Oriol Servia, Rahal Letterman Racing. Photo by Andy Sallee.
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Also, Richard Antinucci is back for the CURB/Agajanian/Team 3G, as the Indy
Lights runner-up of a year ago is confirmed for this weekend and the final
road course event at Infineon in two weeks. Jaques Lazier and Stanton
Barrett will alternate on the ovals, Barrett running at Japan owing to
Japanese sponsors.
Conquest Racing is also in flux. They will run three of the final four
events with two different drivers, Nelson Philippe and four-year IndyCar
veteran Kosuke Matsuura.
Philippe returns for his fourth tour of duty with the team at
Infineon and Homestead in an "I drive green" livery similar to his
run at Indianapolis for HVM. At Japan, Matsuura will drive the #34 CLICK
Securities car. Prior driver Alex Tagliani and the team endured an
acrimonious parting of ways after Edmonton.
"I left after six events contested, including in Canada where I
absolutely wanted to participate," Tagliani told RDS.ca about his
season. "From the outset, I knew I was not going to make a full season,
but I feel more like I was part of plans for the future of the Conquest
team."
"On the other hand, I was tired of being part of a team which is
part-time. We must not delude ourselves, in such a context, consistency
is lacking and no development is done, nothing has improved. Everything
we do is go to the races and do the best we can. Eventually, it could
get frustrating," Tagliani summed up.
The field drops to 21 this weekend without Will Power, Tomas Scheckter
and Sarah Fisher, but with the addition of the second HVM car it's only
a net loss of two. From Infineon on the grid is expected to be at least
22 cars with the possibility of more.
